Police fail to vacate land in Naktala

The police on Friday failed remove the encroachment on a land in Naktala which was illegally occupied by a club whose secretary Bhaskar Dam is the husband of the local Trinamool Congress councilor Susmita Dam.

Bhaskar also threatened to commit suicide when the police tried to take back the land. A large contingent of police led by the commissioner Surajit Kar Purakayastha left the area empty handed.

The state government had acquired 42 cottah of land belonging to Leena Dutta in 1972 and set up a pump to supply drinking water to the area. Over the years, shops, a local club and a party office Trinamool Congress councilor Susmita Dutta had come up.

She had also filed a case in the High Court to get back the land. She said that the state government had set up only a pump and the remaining land had not been utilised and that had flouted the commitment of the state government while acquiring the land in 1972. The High Court ordered the Kolkata Municipal Corporation to handover vacant plot to the petitioner and instructed city police to provide force to maintain law and order.

Accordingly, a large contingent of police led by Purakayastha and senior officials of KMC went to the spot. The lawyer of the petitioner was also present. But the plot could not be handed over to the petitioner as the secretary of the club staged a demonstration threatening to commit suicide if police made any attempt to acquire the land. The huge police force remained silent spectator.

Local residents also joined Dam and raised slogans against eviction. They said that the land was being used by the club for many years and children of the area go there to play every day.

Purakayastha said that he had gone there to comply the High Court order and refused to make any comment. It was learnt that the club had also moved the High Court against eviction and the matter is likely to come up for hearing on Monday.